St. Landry democrat., 1887-12-31


another month, old chaps
like me must stay indoors,
and these pleasant walks along the bank
must be given up until next May"
The speaker was an ancient mariner,
rough and rugged as an old oak tree; one of
many such that may be met any fine day
along the bluff in front of the Sailors Snug
Harbor at Staten Island.
"And down South" he continued, "it are
jist a-comin' on spring. which are what are
goin' on continually in life; old chaps like
me in the winter of their days and young
sters like that yonder," pointing to passing
boy, comm in for their spring and sum-
mer. With me twill soon be always night
while for time he has etarnal daylight. Off
Cape Horn, now, the days are gittin longer
and longer. and by Christmas time, when
we have to burn gas nearly all day, there'n
be scarce any night there at all"
"And speakin of Christmas, minds me
of one Christmas dinner we had in the old
bark Mersey in 1S49. She were one of them
craft what We're owned by company of
chaps as wanted to git to the diggins in Cali
fornia, where everybody aboard 'cept us
chaps afore the mast owned a share of her.
and where all the cargo aboard were owned
by them likewise; and as for us sailormen,
we went out for nothin'. cause we had the
fever as it were called, and wanted to git
out to the diggins sud GIT forth in gold
THAT ere, you know, were thirty-eight
year ago, and I were only thirty-two year
old, and though you mightn't think it now
to look at me, l were then strong as OK and
Of nc
chaps as got chance in this old hooker
You see, sir, them times nobody wouldn't
send any ship as was good for anythin' to
California, cause captains, mates and crew
all cut their lucky as soon as the anchor
were down in San Francisco harbor, and the
ship jist be to stay there, and presumes that
the old Mersey are at this minute underneath
some big brick store. When they filled in
the harbor there, to make water front,
they didn't stop to move these old hookers,
but jist covered 'em up. Howsever, that's
neither here nor there. There was lots as
wanted to git out there, and lot Of chaps
a hundred, may be-would git together and
buy the ship out and out, and load her with
whatever they thought they could make
spec on out there. They generally give the
captain share or two for his sarvices, and
the mate likewise, and all the rest of the
ships company, from the second mate and
carpenter down, they could git for the ask
ing, everybody bein crazy to go and no.
body seem anythin' ahead of him but yaller
gold.
"Every old rattle trap'that was in the coun-
try was fixed up and sold to one of these
companies, the members of which didn't
know one end of ship from the other, and
only that it's jist about the incest wage that
can be imagined, there wouldn't half of EN-
have ever got there, which they all did do,
or, at any rate, there weren't many excep-
tons. There was gay old times aboard of
some of them too all hands bein' owners,
but generally, if the skipper were anythin
of sailorman, they found out, arter he got
'em to sea, as they wasn't nothin' but pas
sengers and had got to obey orders.
II mind our old mans fust tussel with 'em
were off Rio Janairo. You see the old bark
were, without exception, the slowest thing
that ever wore canvas and we was eighty
days out afore we was up with the latitude of
Rio We'd had lots Of rain on the line and
had filled up all our water casks, so as to
that we was all right, and we had lots OF
-four and biscuits and salt provisions on
board as cargo, but the fresh grub had long
been gone and the passenger-owners con-
cluded they'd like to go in and get supplies.
There had been little tiffs 'twixt them and
the old man for weeks, and he hadn't spoke
to them nor they to him, but they found
out-from the mate l suppose-as we was
a-gittin' up in the latitude of Rio, and
they holds meetin' and resolves to go in
and they presents these resolutions to
the captain. I always had an idee that if
they hadn't done nothin' the skipper would
have gone in of his own free will and accord
but he weren't goin' to be ordered in, and
he told em he'd see 'em blowed first. Then
they held another meetin' and deposed him
turned him out of the command-and ap-
pointed the mate skipper; but the mate
know'd better than be guilty Of an act OF
open mutiny, and he wouldn't take charge.
Then these chaps produced their shootin'
irons, and threatened the skipper If he didn't
take 'em in to Rio they'd blow his
brains out, or put him in irons, or what not,
and then he called all hands, clewed up the
royal to'gallan' sails, hauled up the courses,
close-reefed the topsails, and then sent all
hands below.
"'Now, gentlemen says the skipper, I've
got the ship perfectly snug so as none OF you
need be in any fear of your lives, and I'll
Civ her up to you. When you git tired of
waitin' and want me to take charge agin, you
must Civ up all your shootin irons, beg my
pardon and prom Use to obey orders" Well,
they come for ard and asked us ifthere wernt
some one as would take charge of the ship
and run her to Rio, but we told 'em thatwe
couldn't do it, even if we know'd how, cause
list as soon as we landed there, we'd be took
afore the consul on charge of mutiny and
sent back to the States; so arter twenty
four hours, they appinted committee to
wait on the old man and tell him as they Civ
in He made 'em bring all their revolvers,
and pile 'em up on deck at his feet and he
made EN- beg his pardon and promise
% obey him forever arter until the end